ADLH Chapter 11: Dragons Are So Hard to Pet
Early in the morning, the housekeeper screamed—a dolphin-like shriek that jolted Qian Ji awake from his sleep.
Frowning, he lifted the blanket and walked toward the door. As soon as he opened it, something white fell into the room with a thud, landing squarely on his foot.
Qian Ji frowned and took a closer look—only to realize it was Ruan Xingzhou, in pajamas and fast asleep.
Judging from his position, it was clear he had spent the whole night sleeping against Qian Ji’s door.
The housekeeper, face filled with horror, pointed a trembling finger at the still-pale and unconscious Ruan Xingzhou.
“D-dead! He’s dead!”
“…”
Dead, my ass.
Qian Ji rubbed his temples in frustration and glared at her. “He’s just asleep. What are you yelling about?”
“Huh? Asleep? But Mr. Ruan’s face... why is it so pale?”
The housekeeper eyed Qian Ji suspiciously—tall, muscular, covered in dark red markings from neck to toe. She glanced nervously at the door and took two steps back, looking at him like a murder suspect.
“Sir, could you maybe... wake Mr. Ruan up so I can see?”
“…”
Clicking his tongue, Qian Ji held back his irritation, picked up Ruan Xingzhou like a sack of rice, and gave him a little shake. The man finally opened his eyes, bloodshot and groggy.
“Qian Ji…” he mumbled.
Qian Ji turned to the housekeeper with an annoyed look.
Realizing her mistake, she laughed awkwardly and apologized, quickly disappearing into the kitchen with the groceries she brought, trying to minimize her presence.
Just then, there was a knock on the door. The housekeeper emerged from the kitchen to answer it, but Ruan Xingzhou waved her off and staggered to the door himself.
Qian Ji had intended to go back to his room, but when he saw the men outside—all dressed in black uniforms—he stopped. Ruan Xingzhou said something to them and even opened the door a bit to let them see inside.
The men nodded respectfully to Ruan Xingzhou and left.
As the door closed, Ruan Xingzhou, like a little puppy, closed his eyes and sniffed the air, shuffling barefoot toward Qian Ji’s chest to snuggle.
But a large, light brown hand stopped him, pressing against his forehead. Ruan Xingzhou leaned forward, but without traction, he just marched in place, unable to get any closer.
Pouting, he opened his eyes.
“Hug.”
Ruan Xingzhou mumbled his request.
Qian Ji’s face darkened, his golden slit pupils flickering. He snorted coldly. “Hug, my ass.”
Ruan Xingzhou nodded obediently.
“Okay, I’m an ass. Hug.”
“…”
Fuck.
Qian Ji let out a half-laugh of exasperation and bent down, face close to Ruan Xingzhou’s. A cold glint flashed in his eyes as his large hand pressed more firmly on the man's forehead.
He asked, “Those men outside—who are they?”
Ruan Xingzhou’s nose was stuffy, and his head was spinning. After sleeping by Qian Ji’s door all night barefoot, he was definitely chilled.
It felt like his brain was sloshing.
Qian Ji’s voice came through muffled, like wrapped in soundproofing cotton. By the time the words registered in Ruan Xingzhou’s overheated brain...
Qian Ji’s brow had already scrunched into a mountain range.
“I’ll ask one more time—who were those men outside?”
This damned human liked men, and seemed rich and powerful. With that type, how many little playthings had he kept?
Qian Ji needed someone clean—to bear his offspring.
He glared at Ruan Xingzhou, as if his personal treasure had been touched by filthy hands.
The young Dragon Lord burned with jealousy.
Finally, Ruan Xingzhou understood. “Them? They’re my bodyguards. This 36-story building—aside from my residence at the top and a few recreational floors—is fully staffed with bodyguards, housekeepers, chefs, bartenders, trainers, medical staff, and support personnel…”
He valued his privacy. His staff only came upstairs at set times. Since Qian Ji had arrived, he’d further reduced patrols.
The housekeeper’s earlier scream had triggered a security rush.
“…”
There were at least a hundred human presences in the building—and they were all his staff?
Qian Ji’s rage fizzled out instantly.
His lips twitched. “A whole building of bodyguards? Just how afraid of dying are you?”
“No choice…” Ruan Xingzhou yawned, face blank. “I’m just too rich.”
“…”
This damned human!
Qian Ji straightened up with a grim expression and withdrew his hand.
With the resistance gone, Ruan Xingzhou threw himself onto Qian Ji’s chest.
Thus began his daily mission of sniffing the dragon, petting the dragon.
Ruan Xingzhou took deep breaths, nose clogged and breathing through his mouth.
Qian Ji could feel the warmth of the man’s forehead on his chest, along with his warm, mischievous hands. He looked down and noticed the guy’s lips were dry and peeling.
Was he really sick? Qian Ji clicked his tongue internally.
Such fragile humans.
No wonder they needed so many caretakers.
He reached out, brushing the back of Ruan Xingzhou’s neck. A faint red mist entered his body.
In the next second, Ruan Xingzhou’s mind cleared, his eyes stopped itching, and his fatigue vanished.
“Was that you? Qian Ji,” he asked, delighted. “Do you like me?”
Qian Ji froze for a second, then quickly put on his usual mocking smirk. “Like you? Ha, never. I’m just leaving soon, and I didn’t want you causing more trouble. Call it charity. Got it?”
“Hmph. Be grateful, you damn human.” Qian Ji, tall and imposing with a natural royal aura, looked like the kind of dragon who’d rank love below conquering a kingdom.
Ruan Xingzhou looked at him, then said a quiet “Oh.” Though expressionless, something about his demeanor felt… dejected.
So that’s it…
He still doesn’t like me…
Ruan Xingzhou’s chest tightened. He climbed off Qian Ji and asked, “Where are you going? Not coming with me to the company?”
“I don’t have time to waste on you. I have things to do.”
Ruan Xingzhou opened his mouth.
Qian Ji saw it coming and cut him off.
“I’m not taking you. Where I’m going belongs to the world of monsters—it’s not for humans.”
Ruan Xingzhou’s face went cold. “If you’re not taking me, then you need to fulfill our contract.”
“What?” Qian Ji paused.
“Have a baby,” Ruan Xingzhou said blankly. “When are we having a baby? When are we going to—mmph!”
Qian Ji pinched his lips into a duckbill with two fingers. “You shameless human! What are you saying?!”
He caught the housekeeper peeking again, her ears turning red under her hair.
This shameless bastard dared say that in broad daylight!
Ruan Xingzhou pushed his hand away and pursed his lips. “That’s what the online guides say. If you want to keep a man, sleep with him and have a child. Once there’s a baby, you can march right into the house, laughing.”
“…”
“…”
Qian Ji’s forehead throbbed. Are you some scheming mistress trying to climb the social ladder?
Housekeeper: I’ll just… quietly shut this door and leave.
Qian Ji groaned. “Can you not say stuff like that every single day?”
“What stuff?”
Ruan Xingzhou tilted his head.
Does he want me to phrase it more elegantly? he wondered.
Qian Ji was a dragon, maybe a conservative one. That made sense.
Ruan Xingzhou looked up, expression serious, dangerously sincere despite his zero investment in emotional intelligence.
Black eyes met golden slit pupils.
Ruan Xingzhou solemnly declared:
“Please place the origin of your life into the inevitable passage of my digestive tract.”
…Like that.
Qian Ji: “…………”
The young Dragon Lord sighed, then covered Ruan Xingzhou’s soft little head with his hand. “Fine. I agree.”
“Hm?”
“I’ll take you to the demon world.”
“What about my digestive—"
“Shut up!”
Red horns sprouted as Qian Ji bared sharp teeth in a world-ending smile and squeezed Ruan Xingzhou’s head with a crackling crunch.
“I’ll give you half an hour to wash up and eat. Half an hour, and I’ll take you to the Ghost Society.”
He grinned, fire flickering from his mouth, and patted the fuzzy head forcefully.
“And maybe get Jun Hua to treat your brain!”
Smack smack!
Ruan Xingzhou felt like his skull might have cracked.
Worried he might accidentally burn this idiot human, Qian Ji vanished into golden light.
Ruan Xingzhou sighed, went to wash up, changed clothes, and texted his secretary and bodyguards to rearrange his schedule.
As he rinsed his mouth, he stared at his reflection—a face that was, by all accounts, objectively attractive.
“Why is he mad again?”
He sighed to himself.
“This is so hard.”
It really is.
Sigh.
Author’s Note – Little Theater:
Ruan Xingzhou: This is so hard. Really, dragons are impossible to pet.
Qian Ji (seriously pondering): Should I braise him... or grill him?
Comments
Post a Comment